Hubbie and I had a 7 hour layover at Newark on the way back from Milano. Hang around at EWR with our iPads or go visit longtime eGullet friend at his latest venture...no contest. It was a journey to get there, buses and trains and a lot of walking... but it was well worth it. Had to push through the crowds at security to avoid missing our midnight flight home...but that's another story. In a word: this place is awesome. Everything I imagined and more. There was a lady sampling truffle products...back from a week eating truffles in Italy and missing them already, I dove right in. Daniel's first words: you smell like truffles. The deli is a delight, I would shop there every week if I lived in the neighborhood. Everything from organic ice creams and chocolates to imported pastas to private label evoo, balasmico and the wonderful babka. Brought home a chocolate babka for the kids - who were astounded it's a real thing, after seeing it on a Seinfeld episode the previous week! We shopped, and we ate. Boy did we eat. The atmosphere is inviting and warm. And early on Sunday evening the place is bustling! Forgive me for the not so great formatting... it's been years since I've posted and I'm rusty! Caviar Baked Potato - Incredible Gorgeous Salad Porchetta - Out of this world, crispy and moist at the same time Meatball Sandwich - Just pick it up and eat it Sambal Butter Roasted Oysters - delicious and generous

Hi Prawncrackers, Great to see your process up close. Your food is always gorgeous. I have been through those actuarial exams so I know of what you speak! Best of luck to you. During those gruelling study days I used to throw some chevre inside of a half avocado for my 5-minute allotted lunch. I saved the good food for the evenings.

I've heard about a place in town where some of the moms I know like to go. They say it's great because it takes care of the parts of cooking they enjoy the least: deciding what to make, shopping for ingredients, and prepping. Here is the link: click

Marlene, I second Keller's boeuf bourgignon. All those extra steps, straining, making the sauce clean...after all that my husband declared he much preferred my usual version (ala Julia Child). This version loses a lot of its character through the process.

Thank you for the welcome. What to say about butter and oil. Of course it seems intuitive that butter would be better; I tend to use a combination of the two. My Mom only ever uses oil, corn oil actually (you may recall the zero-cholesterol tolerance ) and her rice always has a lot of flavor. She also adds a fair amount of salt which no doubt brings out the flavors. How lucky for you that broadbeans are already out. I adore them, the kids do too - although I know that these can be dangerous for some kids as I believe middle easterners have some sort of strong allergy to them. I found this photo of my Mom's persian rice with broadbeans and dill. This is truly one of my favorites. Let us know how it turns out. Bagali Polow - Basmati with Favas and Dill, Topped with Zaferan

That sabzi polow rice looks great, Melamed. And congratulations on getting a nice bit of crust on your white rice. Yes, 10 minutes does seem like a lot of boiling time. The rice should be strained while still quite al dente; my grandmother always broke a piece with her nail to test for readiness; I tend to taste, and I tell people it should still taste firm but not inedible. As for getting it all off in one piece...I have certainly seen my grandmother turn the whole pot upside down and have the entire crust come off in one piece, but I have to admit I think that dates to the time they were using non-stick pots. With the stainless steel I can usually "scrape" it off in a few large pieces. It also sometimes helps to soak the bottom of the pot in some cold water to help loosen it before trying to remove it. Here is some photos of the Persian rice we had in LA and Montreal last week. Red Rice - made by my Aunt; I took the rice out of the pot, got the tahdig in a few pieces. White Rice - also made by my Aunt; I also was the one who plated the rice, and when I mentioned the tahdig sort-of didn't hold together all that well, she agreed saying that often happens when she uses only butter, as she did in this case Polow with Zereshk and Zaferan - from the restaurant "Teheran" in Montreal; their rice is always excellent; I wonder how they achieve this standard considering the large volumes they produce in a day Polow with Zaferan - and jujeh kabob, the divine chicken from Teheran